Monday, December 11, 2017

Synopsis: In the wake of her father's death, Ash is left at the mercy of her cruel stepmother. Consumed with grief, her only joy comes by the light of the dying hearth fire, rereading the fairy tales her mother once told her. In her dreams, someday the fairies will steal her away, as they are said to do. When she meets the dark and dangerous fairy Sidhean, she believes that her wish may be granted.The day that Ash meets Kaisa, the King's Huntress, her heart begins to change. Instead of chasing fairies, Ash learns to hunt with Kaisa. Though their friendship is as delicate as a new bloom, it reawakens Ash's capacity for love-and her desire to live. But Sidhean has already claimed Ash for his own, and she must make a choice between fairy tale dreams and true love.

Entrancing, empowering, and romantic, Ash is about the connection between life and love, and solitude and death, where transformation can come from even the deepest grief.
Review: Ash was a re-read for me. I read it long ago and I fondly thought of it as one of my favorite fairy tale retellings, but I've read a number of retellings since then and I wanted to see if it still held up. Good news, it definitely does. From the start, Ash is compassionate and watching her deal with her mother's death is hard. One of the strengths of this particular story is seeing Ash come to terms with her sexuality. She's definitely attracted to Sidhean, but she also harbors an attraction for Kaisa. It's always great to see people figure out their own sexuality, but I especially enjoy it in fantasy based stories. Beyond that, Ash is a retelling of Cinderella. If you like that story, then you will probably enjoy this one.

What makes this book stand out above the rest is that it feels like its own fairy tale. Yes, it is a retelling of Cinderella, but it is lyrical and has its own voice which makes it feel fresh. Malinda does a beautiful job of weaving fae lore with the original Cinderella story. Characters also share their favorite fairy tales within the scope of this world. I always appreciate moments like that because it makes the world feel more rich and developed. This is one of the few books where the ending felt wrapped up, but also a bit open-ended and it worked really well for this particular story.

Even if you aren't a fan of retellings, Ash is worth checking out. It isn't long, but has a beautiful, rich world with fun characters and a well done romance.

Synopsis: When Edan Kupferman dresses up like her favorite character, Gargantua, she feels tall and powerful. That's important right now, because her family is a mess, her best friend is gone for the summer, her crush is confusing, and Edan's feeling small and not sure which end is up.When Edan's cosplaying, she can be angry, loud, and not the good girl everyone thinks she is. And when she's at conventions, she feels like she's found her own Team Tomorrow. But when her personal life starts to spiral out of control, Edan has to figure out whether she needs a sidekick, or if she has the strength to be the hero of her own story.Review: Don't Cosplay With My Heart was a cute book that had a number of good moments in it. As a character, Edan went from having a place of privilege to having barely any. Her father has been accused of stealing and her family no longer has the standing they used to. We get a small idea of who the other characters in the story are, but the main ones we really get to know are Edan, Yuri, and Kirk. Yuri becomes Edan's boyfriend and he's a dick. There isn't a polite way to say it. Kirk is the typical nice guy who does what he can to help Edan throughout the story. Sadly, none of them were particularly interesting to read about. One character I enjoyed quite a lot was Edan's grandmother. We do not spend a lot of time with her but, when we do, she's always ready to put Edan in her place.

This isn't so much a content warning, but if you're a female and you are into fandom culture, then you might find parts of this book bothersome. There's a good bit of the book dedicated to men around Edan who do not seem to think she is a nerd because she's a girl. Edan's boyfriend and his friends are the main people who have this attitude throughout the story, and it does grate on the nerves a bit. Thankfully, the book also shows off other women in fandom. There are a few other girls Edan spends time with who are a part of this culture. There is even some discussion about being a successful woman in comics as Edan gets a chance to meet one of her heroes. I thought this book did a good job of touching on lust versus love and how blind they can make a person. I do wish this book was a little longer and that it touched more on financial issues Edan's club was having. The end felt too sudden.

Don't Cosplay With My Heart had a lot of potential, but fell flat with its characters and predicable plot. It's still cute and I would recommend reading it if you want to see how women are very often treated in fandom culture.

Friday, December 8, 2017

Synopsis: The last thing in the world Alex wanted was an X5, the latest in realistic androids. But after Ada is dropped into his life, he discovers she is more than just a robot. Alex takes a huge risk to unlock Ada so she can think for herself and explore life as a sentient android. As Alex and Ada spend more time together, they become closer. But as restrictions tighten on artificial intelligence, Ada feels unsure about her place in the world, and Alex questions being with an android.In this final arc, Alex and Ada struggle against the growing hatred for sentient robots and their human allies. Can they survive what's around the corner?

Collects Alex + Ada #11-15.

Review: Well that was a delightful experience. Alex + Ada is a story that can easily mirror some current events like legalizing gay marriage and rights for immigrants. While it shouldn't take a story about an android to make us understand these things, I think Alex + Ada does a great job of making us question what makes someone human and the validity of certain relationships. There were parts of this particular volume that I saw coming, but it still drove the story home. It's also a good story about love and what you are willing to risk for that love. There were some parts that I wish were explained a bit more, but if you're looking for a short, sweet comic series, I would highly recommend this one.

Wednesday, December 6, 2017

Synopsis: Tensions rise between humans and robots in this sci-fi/drama set in the near future. Alex took a huge risk to unlock Ada and it seems to have paid off - Ada can now think for herself and explore life as a sentient android. As Alex and Ada spend more time together, they become closer. But as restrictions tighten on androids, Ada feels unsure about her place in Alex's life and the world. Collects Alex + Ada #6-10.

Review: Alex + Ada vol. 2 picks up where vol. 1 left off. Ada is now sentient and she is trying to adjust to her new life with Alex. Watching her experience new foods was fun, and I could feel her excitement in that moment. The conflict between Alex and Ada felt very real. They both have to learn to live their life together again. This includes being attracted to each other. This part of the story hit me right in the feels because it managed to mirror some things in my personal life. I think that's the beauty of this story though. It's about an android and a human, but it is still incredibly easy to relate to. A few people found out about Ada being sentient in this volume and the amount of people who were not bothered surprised me. Of course, the ending sets up well for volume 3.

Monday, December 4, 2017

Synopsis: From JONATHAN LUNA (GIRLS, THE SWORD, ULTRA, Spider-Woman: Origin) and SARAH VAUGHN (Sparkshooter) comes ALEX + ADA, a sci-fi drama set in the near future. The last thing in the world Alex wanted was an X5, the latest in realistic androids. But after Ada is dropped into his life, he discovers she is more than just a robot.

Collects ALEX + ADA #1-5.Review: Alex + Ada is a comic series I've seen around, but I am just now picking it up. Honestly, if you like the movie I, Robot, then this might be a good series for you. The worlds are very similar. In Alex + Ada, a company that made androids suffered through a massacre when some androids became sentient. This caused the government to make a law that no robots were allowed to be sentient. This is the world Alex lives in. He is recovering from a recent breakup and, as a birthday present, he is gifted with an android, Ada. He quickly realizes that something is missing from her. A personality. Choices. Her true being. He takes it upon himself to find people to hack Ada's hardware to make her sentient. The art in this series is beautiful. I love the way the characters are portrayed. There are little things about the world that I found interesting. Alex has a chip(?) of some kind in his head which allows him to control everything without speaking. He can lock/unlock his car, make phone calls, search the internet, etc without saying a word. I'm hoping they explore more of that in one of the later volumes. This is very much an introductory comic bind up. We get introduced to a handful of characters, and we explore a little of the world. Alex has a fun group of friends. I hope we get more interactions with them. One of them lost a leg and has a prosthetic. He was also saved by an android, so that is something that might be explored. The start of this series talks a bit about humanity and what makes a human.

Great start to a series. Definitely hoping for certain discussions in later volumes.

Friday, December 1, 2017

Synopsis: Every action, every deed, every significant moment is tattooed on your skin for ever. When Leora's father dies, she is determined to see her father remembered forever. She knows he deserves to have all his tattoos removed and made into a Skin Book to stand as a record of his good life. But when she discovers that his ink has been edited and his book is incomplete, she wonders whether she ever knew him at all.

Review: I'm a sucker for stories where tattoos play an important role. I loved the idea of tattoos telling a person's history. Leora was an interesting character. I liked seeing her dedication towards inking and what it meant to her. Even though there's clearly something behind all of this, it was neat to see her interact with different people if they were inkers, flayers, or storytellers. I loved Verity. She was a great best friend and I wish we got to see her at work a bit more often. I'm glad she became a more important character and she also had rather high stakes in this story. I liked Oscar, but we didn't get to spend much time with him. There were hints of flirting between him and Leora but, thankfully, it wasn't a major part of the story.

The plot of Ink was good. I liked how dedicated Leora was to this way of life, but there were still moments when she questioned things happening around her. My biggest gripe with this book was that I really couldn't tell if it was supposed to be a dystopian type story or a fantasy one. This didn't hinder my enjoyment too much, it just made it difficult to visualize some aspects. I can genuinely say that I didn't see the plot twist coming. I also didn't expect to see so many characters trying to help Leora. I won't say anymore than that, but it was a nice change of pace from other stories.

Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Synopsis: Crown Princess Rhiannon Ta'an wants vengeance.The only surviving heir to an ancient Kalusian dynasty, Rhee has spent her life training to destroy the people who killed her family. Now, on the eve of her coronation, the time has finally come for Rhee to claim her throne - and her revenge.

Alyosha is a Wraetan who has risen above his war refugee origins to find fame as the dashing star of a DroneVision show. Despite his popularity, Aly struggles with anti-Wraetan prejudices and the pressure of being perfect in the public eye.

Their paths collide with one brutal act of violence: Rhee is attacked, barely escaping with her life. Aly is blamed for her presumed murder.

The princess and her accused killer are forced to go into hiding - even as a war between planets is waged in Rhee's name. But soon, Rhee and Aly discover that the assassination attempt is just one part of a sinister plot. Bound together by an evil that only they can stop, the two fugitives must join forces to save the galaxy.Review: Empress of a Thousand Skies was a fast paced book, yet it took a while for me to get into it. I wasn't impressed with Rhee as a character and that disappointed me. She was very much a typical lost princess character I've read in other YA books. I did like Aly though. His relationship with Vin was humorous, and I appreciated how they showed reality television in this world. That was fascinating and I wished more was done with that. Kara was also interesting. I already figured out her secret, but I liked her character regardless. My only complaint is that I wish we could have seen her interact with people and the world a little more.

Like I said, the story is very fast paced. The book starts with a bang and doesn't really ever stop. That being said, I didn't think the world was very developed which is important if you are writing a sci-fi book and there are other planets involved. Even the planets we got to experience didn't feel very fleshed out. This is one of the few books where I saw the plot twist coming, but it didn't actually take anything away from the book. It was interesting, and Rhoda did something different than what other YA authors do. That was a nice touch. I enjoyed this book, but I was left wanting more and expecting more. I think this would have been better if I hadn't read the synopsis, because it is extremely inaccurate and I was expecting a different story than what I got. Still, I'm excited for book 2 so I can see what happens to these characters.

About Me

*waves* My name is Kim and I am a bookaholic. *pause* Okay yeah really I read a lot of books so I set this up to try to review as many as I can. I'll also do video games and movies if I'm bored and want to review something.